President Edgar Lungu welcomes Ambbassodor of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Abdullah Alowalfeer and his term when the Saudi Arabia called on the first lady at State House

President Edgar Lungu has assured the Saudi Fund Development that his government is committed to ensuring that the construction of the 800 bed capacity women and children hospital in Lusaka is effectively implemented.

The President has meanwhile called on the Saudi Fund Development to help in addressing Zambia’s challenges that have hindered the implementation of the project.

He said government was eager to see to it that the project commences.

Mr. Lungu said he is delighted with the coming of the delegation from the Saudi Arabia Fund Development adding that his government will ensure that they work together to implement the project.

He said this at State House today when a delegation from Saudi Arabia Fund Development paid a courtesy call on the First Lady, Esther Lungu.

And Mrs. Lungu noted that once constructed, the hospital will enhance health service delivery for women and children in the country.

She stated that despite significant progress having been made in the past decade to reduce maternal, neonatal and child mortality, deaths resulting from complications and infections are still unacceptably high.

She is optimist that the new specialist hospital will provide latest technology and create incentives for positive maternal, neonatal and child health results.

Meanwhile, Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya said government has prioritised maternal and child health hence it is making prudent investment in expanding services in the sector.

Dr. Chilufya said the construction of a specialised women and children hospital is a key investment that will also bring about improved capacity to train human resource in the health sector.

And Saudi Fund Managing Director Yousef Albassom said his country was pleased to invest in establishing a specialized women and children hospital in Zambia.

First Lady Esther Lungu confer with delegation leader from Saudi Arabia Eng: Yousef Ibrahim Al Abdulrahman Al Bassam when the Saudi Arabia term called on the first lady at State HousePresident Edgar Lungu flanked with First Lady Esther Lungu and Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya confers with delegation leader from Saudi Arabia Eng: Yousef Ibrahim Al Abdulrahman Al Bassam (l) and Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ibrahim Mumba (r) when the Saudi Arabia term called on the first lady at State HousePresident Edgar Lungu and First Lady Esther Lungu taking official photo with the term from Saudi Arabia shortly after they called on the first lady at State HousePresident Edgar Lungu and First Lady Esther Lungu taking official photo with the term from Saudi Arabia and Zambia shortly after they called on the first lady at State House

What was Lungu doing meeting these guys when according to the story these people came to see his wife? It suggests he is a loafer who does nothing in state house and jumps on other people’s diaries.
“He said this at State House today when a delegation from Saudi Arabia Fund Development paid a courtesy call on the First Lady, Esther Lungu.”

I don’t agree with the development of hospital of 800 beds. Efficient and Clean and hospitals rarely exceed 350 beds. Already, you have a UTH which as you try to sweep; you can’t even remember where you started or aim to finish. Try 2 hospitals – a 400 bed hospital in Lusaka and another 400 bed hospital to replace the horrible Ndola Central Hospital.
This is my expert contribution as a Zambian design engineer involved in hospital projects in South Africa. Check the sizes of all SA hospitals to which you evacuate patients from Zambia

Let’s also remember that buildings don’t treat patients. Has government already done this:
1. Developed an organizational structure of all medical staff to be deployed to this hospital?
2. Trained staff for specialized units where latest technologies will be employed?
3. Developed service delivery standards for this hospital or the service and attitude of health workers will just be the same as that in every other clinic or hospital? This will just make it another case of a new structure like Levy Mwanawasa Hospital where the level of service and attitude of medical staff is so appalling !!!

4. Has government sorted out the budgeting of wages and salaries, and infrastructure maintenance, which will be a PERMANENT feature of this commitment ?

Why the title of the article sound like the Saudis are not sure whether they’ll be allowed to build the hospital or not? Why the need for Lungu to assure them? Ambiguous? And does anybody know what the catch is here? What’s in it for the Saudis? Obviously they can’t just be doing this for free. So what’s the catch?

Every Zambian should donate K1 and that K17 million kwacha will be used to buy a gift for Esther Lungu. She has finally managed to tame this man from flying around the world by chasing him Nkhwazi house. After spending nights at State Lodge by himself, he finally came to his senses

This is effort from the first lady …thumbs up let the hospital be named after her please , job well done. We are proud of you , may the Good lord continue giving you wisdom madam, indeed behind every successful man is a prosperous woman . Zambians love u guys ECL AND Easter Lungu

Let Ammbassador Ibrahim Mumbai minimize Un necessary and very unproductive trips from the Embassy in Saudi Arabia.Learn also to delegate to your Staff Officers who are cheap in terms of travel and logistics and learn to run the Embassy in steady of your juniors all year round.Its economical to government after all that is your job description. You are always in Dubai , in Zambia and all over.Stay at the Embassy.

Kitwe is Zambia’s second largest city after Lusaka with a population of over one million. With such a large population, it only has one big, decaying, decrepit hospital, which is now sixty years old. Ironically, Kitwe is ECL’s home town, but he seems to have completely neglected his roots, save for the classroom block he has funded at his former school, Mukuba. Why doesn’t he take a leaf from the late President Mwanawasa who put up the stadium in Ndola, by putting up a large project like a new and modern hospital in Chimwemwe constituency where he grew up?

Boy, the Zambian government is embarrassing! all they do is beg. When will they start making their own money so they don’t have to keep begging? It’s not just corruption that’s keeping our country in a state of stagnation but the people who we put into office who make trade deals that only benefits them, not the rest of the country . All those resources in Zambia and these fools are constantly relying on donations from countries or corporations that have ulterior motives. We can’t complain about these incompetent MPs though because people keep voting for them.